Windows 11 is finally getting the context menu customization I’ve wanted for years

• Windows 11 is getting a redesigned context menu with a new Customize menu, App extensions submenu, and a more compact layout.
• A new Context menu page in Settings lets users control file actions, app extensions, primary commands, OneDrive options, and access to the legacy menu.
• File Explorer is also getting improvements, including Refresh in the modern menu, better command placement, and OneDrive options moved into a submenu.
• The redesign is still in development, with no confirmed release date. Windows 11 26H2 remains speculation until Microsoft confirms its plans.

On Windows 11, Microsoft is finally doing something I have wanted for a long time, which is fully customizing the context menu.

After recent reports suggesting the overhaul, the company is currently working on a significant redesign of the right-click experience as part of its broader Windows K2 initiative, and after looking at the early implementation, I think this could be one of the more useful shell improvements Microsoft has been working on.

This isn’t just another visual refresh. The company is changing how the context menu works, where commands live, and, most importantly, how much control users have over the experience.

In this guide, I’ll show off the new context menu design changes and highlight the new customization options coming to Windows 11.

The context menu gets a new Customize button

At first glance, it doesn’t look dramatically different. Microsoft has kept the overall Windows 11 design, but there are some immediate changes. The first one you’ll notice is the new “Customize menu” option.

Instead of forcing users to jump straight into the old context menu to find additional commands, the new design is making customization a first-class part of the experience.

There’s also a new “App extensions” submenu, which is particularly interesting because it gives third-party applications their own space.

If you’ve ever installed an app that adds several commands to the context menu, you know how quickly things can get cluttered.

Microsoft’s solution is essentially to let apps have their own commands without letting them take over the main menu, and that’s a much cleaner approach.

And don’t worry if you’re not ready to give up the old context menu. You can still hold the “Shift + right-click” keyboard shortcut to jump directly to the legacy menu.

Microsoft is putting context-menu controls in Settings

In the context menu, you can select the “Customize menu” option to open the new “Context menu” page, located in Settings > Personalization.

On this page is where the redesign starts to make a lot more sense. Microsoft is essentially turning the context menu into another customizable part of the operating system.

Instead of hunting through the Registry or depending on third-party tools, I can simply choose which commands I want to see.

For example, under the “File actions” section, I can turn individual options on or off.

This includes commands such as “Send to,” which isn’t new to the operating system, but it’s new to this design.

App extensions finally deal with specific options

The “App extensions” setting could end up being one of my favorite changes.

I can disable the extensions entry point altogether if I want the cleanest possible context menu. However, if I do want extensions in the main menu, I can choose which ones are available.

That means applications can still integrate with File Explorer without every command being dumped directly into the main right-click menu by default.

It’s a simple idea that makes the menu faster because the system doesn’t have to render additional options every time you open the menu. It also stops one of the biggest problems that makes the menu grow indefinitely.

One thing to note is that you cannot decide which options appear in the “App extensions” submenu. You can either show or hide the entire submenu. The other toggles are designed to let you show or hide specific entries in the main menu.

You can choose how the main commands are displayed

Microsoft is also giving us more control over the primary commands. Under the “Additional options” section, you can use the “Arrange primary actions inline” setting to show the main commands (such as Cut, Copy, Rename, Share, and Delete) directly in the menu instead of tucking them into the compact command area.

This is a small change, but I like the philosophy behind it. Microsoft isn’t assuming that everyone wants the same context menu.

If you want the compact Windows 11 experience, you can keep it. If you’d rather have more commands immediately visible, you can change it.

You can bring back Show more options

And if you’re still not a fan of the modern context menu, Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about you, since there’s a “Show more options” setting that brings back the legacy menu entry point.

This is important because the company isn’t forcing users to choose between the modern interface and the old one.

You can use the new menu and still quickly access the traditional commands when you need them.

There’s even a setting that places “Properties” at the bottom of the menu, making the transition to the legacy experience a little more obvious.

OneDrive finally stops taking over the menu

Microsoft is also moving OneDrive commands into its own submenu, and this is another change I think makes a lot of sense.

For example, options such as “Always keep on this device” no longer take up valuable space in the main context menu. Instead, I can open the OneDrive submenu and find those commands there.

This is exactly how I think context-menu extensions should work. The commands aren’t hidden. They’re just organized. And if you don’t use OneDrive, those commands don’t have to clutter your primary menu.

File Explorer gets some welcome changes

The new menu also changes how File Explorer behaves, and one small change I’m particularly happy to see is that the “Refresh” option is now built into the modern context menu.

Microsoft is also moving commands around based on where they make more sense. For example, in File Explorer’s Home section, “Open file location” is now positioned closer to the top.

Again, nothing revolutionary. However, after years of menus accumulating commands, some basic organization is exactly what the shell needs.

The menu feels less crowded

The context menu feels less crowded. Microsoft is reducing the amount of information competing for attention in the primary menu while giving users ways to bring back the commands they actually want.

The spacing is also more compact, and the company has made changes under the hood that make the menu feel faster and more responsive.

Microsoft appears to understand that the right-click experience needs to be both cleaner and faster, not just prettier.

This is the context menu Windows 11 should have had

After looking at the new changes in this early version (via @PhantomOfEarth), I think Microsoft is finally approaching the Windows 11 context menu from the right direction. The original Windows 11 redesign was heavily focused on appearance. This feels much more focused on usability.

The important part isn’t that the menu has slightly different spacing or that the company moved a few commands around. It’s that I can now decide what belongs there.

Instead of Microsoft deciding what every user’s context menu should look like, the user gets a say.

Pureinfotech’s Take

Microsoft still has work to do, and that’s important to remember because this is an early implementation. The company hasn’t announced when this exact experience will reach the stable version of Windows 11, and some of these options could change before release.

But if this is the direction Microsoft is taking the context menu, I’m all for it.

The context menu has been accumulating commands for decades, and Windows has never given users a proper, built-in way to clean it up. Third-party apps can add their own entries, cloud services can add more, and before long, a simple right-click can turn into a wall of options.

What I like about this redesign is that Microsoft isn’t simply moving those commands around. It’s finally giving users control over what they see.

That’s what makes this more than another Windows 11 cosmetic refresh. If Microsoft can maintain the performance improvements while giving users this level of control, I think the new context menu could become one of the more welcome shell improvements on Windows 11.

As for when you’ll be able to try it yourself, Microsoft hasn’t provided a release date. These changes could potentially arrive later this year, but until the company confirms its plans, I’d treat any connection to Windows 11 26H2 as speculation.